Taking Care of Mom

Life has been anything but calm since we hit the New Year. We had another two-day visit in the hospital last week with our little one. We are blessed it was only that long, but we still have a few more months to go before we can fully resume our normal life and be out and about again.

Last night I did something I rarely did - I went to bed at 9:30 pm. I had only slept 2 hours the night before and all the lack of sleep was catching up with me. Today I feel great and it makes such a difference in making it through the day.

While our baby was sick, my grandma gave me some great advice.

Once you are home, be sure to nap whenever you have a chance. Don't worry about cleaning house. The work will wait for you.

Isn't that the truth? I know sometimes I look over and see my almost 2-year-old fussing and waiting for me to finish whatever it is that I was doing and I have to stop and reevaluate...is this more important than helping him? Oftentimes the answer is no.

I have peace about the fact I will always have a to-do list, but the biggest thing I have "to do" right now is spend time with my kids and take care of their mom so I have energy to be with them. Easier said than done, but it helps to refocus my energy and efforts where they are most important.

My Top 10 In Princeton

Since this was my first week going part-time, I had more time to actually see some stuff. Plus with the 4th of July, we got to go to Philadelphia and visit new things there....

1. Philly Cheese Steak
2. Liberty Bell on the 4th (I even saw the mayor of Philly there, he was about 5 feet from me).
3. Full-time exchanged for part-time at same salary
4. Baby slings for babies who want lots of lovin
5. Getting to try new ice cream places
6. Sundays at the beach
7. An actual holiday, where my husband is off and I don't have to work
8. Fun location, people actually want to visit (unlike Minnesota)
9. An easy-to-clean "house" since there is so little stuff
10. Planning trips to St. Louie

Why 'Led By Faith'

After years of living on the Internet (and years of hating to write despite attending fabulous Journalism schools) I have decided to begin blogging. Many of my friends who are stay-at-home moms say it's a great outlet and after moving to a new part of the country, I figured I'd give it a try.

Don't get me wrong...I've blogged before. I am a photographer though and it has always been centered around my baby or my photography. But this time, I think I'm doing it more as an outlet and also in a hope to reach to others out there who find themselves in similar situations.

My husband just got a job on the East Coast and although nearly everyone we know and love is in the Midwest, we prayed very long and hard and truly felt like God has called us out here. Why is so beyond me and I cannot even begin to answer.

The last few months have been so difficult and I've so much trouble imagining moving out here. Nothing against the area, but an area doesn't make a place worth living ... at least not in my book. I hate missing all the things i feel like I should be around for with our family and friends, but am trying so hard to focus on the positives on being out here.

So there's the name...led by faith. Because of our faith in God and His role in our lives, we truly believe He has called us to come out here. We may not know the reason and it may be painful right now, but I truly believe that when all is said and done, we will realize this in the overall plan of our lives.

I am human and do not ever claim to be some amazing human being...because I am not. I am just a mom, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a niece and a friend trying to live the best life I am called to live. I am trying to balance what I hope to do with my photography and skills God has blessed me with along with the wonderful gift of spending more and more time with my little man and husband.

So here we are on our new adventure and although we do not know how long we will be around, I'm sure it will be interesting!